Scan barcode
ayanahazeley's review against another edition
2.0
I’m not sure what I was supposed to take away from this novel. It didn’t leave any lasting impression on me. I didn’t care for the dialogue and interactions between the characters; it often lacked any real substance and the convos felt unfinished. I found myself reading on just to be done with it.
mynameisgreg's review against another edition
5.0
This was absolutely gorgeous. The connection I felt to Gopi was so strong which is incredible for such a short novel. For me, the length was one of its strengths; it allowed me to fill in some of the emotional blanks, where what isn’t said or events that aren’t written about are still present and stronger for their absence.
seangibsonesq's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable and well-told story, but with some notable faults that kept it from making a bigger impact.
I can't help but feel there was scope to sprinkle more details, more context, throughout the book. Then the narrative beats would have struck deeper, if they had been able to reverberate through these extra details, if the reader had been thrown enough scraps to be able to imagine more consequences.
The narrative is consistent and compelling in its view of the world from the child's perspective. There is a simplicity and understatement, an element of seeing without comprehending, that is very satisfying. That said, the story arc held little mystery and little promise for me; the pleasure was in getting to know the characters. I don't think it counts as a spoiler my contention that nothing really happens, because objectively things do change. But I would have been more endeared if there had been more progress.
I can't help but feel there was scope to sprinkle more details, more context, throughout the book. Then the narrative beats would have struck deeper, if they had been able to reverberate through these extra details, if the reader had been thrown enough scraps to be able to imagine more consequences.
The narrative is consistent and compelling in its view of the world from the child's perspective. There is a simplicity and understatement, an element of seeing without comprehending, that is very satisfying. That said, the story arc held little mystery and little promise for me; the pleasure was in getting to know the characters. I don't think it counts as a spoiler my contention that nothing really happens, because objectively things do change. But I would have been more endeared if there had been more progress.
docpacey's review against another edition
3.0
This spare novella, about a family processing grief through one daughter's aptitude for squash, was simply too shallow for me to embrace. Gopi, the narrator, has talent, and relationships, but is too young to know what to do with either. She is led around and placed in circumstances beyond her control, and, while she manages to muddle through them, there is no sense that she is learning how to cope, or gaining agency in her life. In the end I felt sadness that she is torn from her sisters, her one friend, and despite her success, likely the sport she's good at.
Q: 3
E: 3
I: 2
qxe + I = 11
Q: 3
E: 3
I: 2
qxe + I = 11
kats05's review against another edition
3.0
The Booker longlist was full of surprises this year, so many titles I had never heard of, and a lot of novels I expected to see on this list but did not. Well, I am always happy to be introduced to new authors, so I started with the shortest one on the list (160 pages) set between London and Edinburgh. A quiet story about a grief-stricken family with a now single parent (dad) with three daughters, the youngest of whom is 11 years old, called Gopi who is a squash prodigy.
I absolutely love racket sports (tennis and padel, especially) except squash which would be at the very bottom of the list. I'd sooner be hurling than playing squash, thanks very much. However, I did like the descriptions of the players' movements, the sound of the ball, their feet, the walls, the spectators - the writing conjured up crystal clear visuals in my mind, and I could almost smell the musty, sweaty air of the squash halls.
Where the writing fell short for me was getting into the heads of Gopi's family and even herself at times, in order to fully understand the dynamics, the desperation and any love they felt for each other. I kept waiting for some emotional climax or for the plot develop in an unexpected way, but unfortunatey, neither was the case, and I suspect that in a few weeks' time I won't be remembering much about this book.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for the "debut novel bonus".
I absolutely love racket sports (tennis and padel, especially) except squash which would be at the very bottom of the list. I'd sooner be hurling than playing squash, thanks very much. However, I did like the descriptions of the players' movements, the sound of the ball, their feet, the walls, the spectators - the writing conjured up crystal clear visuals in my mind, and I could almost smell the musty, sweaty air of the squash halls.
Where the writing fell short for me was getting into the heads of Gopi's family and even herself at times, in order to fully understand the dynamics, the desperation and any love they felt for each other. I kept waiting for some emotional climax or for the plot develop in an unexpected way, but unfortunatey, neither was the case, and I suspect that in a few weeks' time I won't be remembering much about this book.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for the "debut novel bonus".
krunde1126's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sabluvs2read's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
solid book! i love reading about sports so i was excited to read this but it fell a bit short. still appreciated the strong focus on grief and relationships but i feel like the synopsis was misleading
acolly's review against another edition
3.0
I’m not sure why I thought I would like this. I think I was compelled to read about a sport I know nothing about, squash. Turns out I don’t care about squash at all and reading about it was boring, to say the least.
Gopi’s story was more interesting. A young girl dealing with grief over the loss of her mother, her relationships with her two sisters, and her crush on her squash partner. Her loser dad being into her squash partner’s mom and not being able to take care of his daughters was probably realistic, but Gopi’s lack of opinion over him was annoying.
Her communication with her father was too vague and confusing for it to feel important. I’m starting to think parts of this story were above my head.
Some of it I still liked, so I’ll keep it at 3 stars. Would still be interested to read more from this author.
Gopi’s story was more interesting. A young girl dealing with grief over the loss of her mother, her relationships with her two sisters, and her crush on her squash partner. Her loser dad being into her squash partner’s mom and not being able to take care of his daughters was probably realistic, but Gopi’s lack of opinion over him was annoying.
Her communication with her father was too vague and confusing for it to feel important. I’m starting to think parts of this story were above my head.
Some of it I still liked, so I’ll keep it at 3 stars. Would still be interested to read more from this author.
alramsthel's review against another edition
4.0
wow! what a sneaky little emotional book! didn’t expect to cry and yet
jennyzreads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Really gorgeous audiobook narrator. But I had a lot of questions that the spare prose left me thinking about.